Mapleshade's Revenge
by Stardust Nam
Summary: Mapleshade wasn't killed after all. She's back, she wants revenge...and she sees hope in a young apprentice of RiverClan. Can Russetpaw discover her secret mentor's twistedness in time? PS: Russetpaw isn't the brightest. She's kind of stupid, even. But her slow fire, kindled with taunts and cuffs, can grow to an inferno that could destroy RiverClan.
1. Chapter 1

Fanfiction

Russetpaw awoke in a dark, damp forest. _Where am I?_ she wondered. She had been sleeping, and suddenly she was here!

She started exploring but halted when a ginger she-cat slipped out of the shadows. "Hello, little one," she purred, sliding closer. "My name is Mapleshade."

"My name is Russetpaw!" she said proudly. She twirled around, her russet fur glinting in the dim light. Her green-gold eyes gleamed excitedly. "I'm, like, a new apprentice with my sisters Autumnpaw and Auburnpaw! It's _soooo_ exciting!"

"Indeed, I remember when I myself was an apprentice," meowed Mapleshade. Her soft green eyes gazed thoughtfully at the young she-cat,

"Do you want fame, glory, and power?" she hissed, and Russetpaw took a step back. "Wh-what?" she mewed.

Mapleshade licked at a paw. "What I'm saying is, I can train you, secretly, and I can make you strong, stronger than your mentor Flickeringflame. I can make you stronger than your leader, Azurestar. You, Russetpaw, can lead RiverClan."

Russetpaw stared amazedly at the queer ginger she-cat. "Are you mad?" she meowed. "I'm an _apprentice!"_

Mapleshade examined her paw, deemed it worthy, and placed it primly on the ground. "Under me, you can achieve." She leaned closer. "Russetpaw, i've been watching you since a few days after your birth, and I think you are special and strong enough to do all that I say you can."

Russetpaw glanced at a nearby pool and saw her reflection. A small she-cat with fur the color of a bleeding sunset, golden streaks, and green eyes. Could she, lowly apprentice of RiverClan, do it? Rise above her mentor, her leader?

"What must I do?" she asked.

Mapleshade looked pleased. "I knew you would accept-you are a remarkably gifted young she-cat. But you must make a blood oath."

"What's a blood oath?"

Mapleshade answered by slicing open her paw-pad with a single razor-sharp claw. Gulping, Russetpaw did so to her own paw. They pressed the injured paws together. Russetpaw winced at the sting. "Say after me," said Mapleshade. "I vow with my falling blood,"

"I vow with my falling blood,"

"I pledge with my solemn heart,"

"I pledge with my solemn heart,"

"I bind myself to Mapleshade,"

"I bind myself to Mapleshade,"

"If I should shatter this sacred oath,"

"If I should shatter this sacred oath,"

"Let my soul be torn from my body."

"Let my soul be torn from my body."

The ritual over, Russetpaw started licking at the nick. It hurt quite a lot. "So when do we start training?" she mewed in between licks.

"Not tonight. Go home to your own nest. But tell no one of me-or you shall have broken your blood oath, and your soul will abandon you." Mapleshade replied.

"Truly?" asked Russetpaw with wide green-gold eyes.

Mapleshade laughed, oh, such a tinkling, beautiful laugh-but sinister, too. "The legends say so. Also, you will not join StarClan if you break the vow."

"Oh," shivered Russetpaw. "Then where would I go when I die?"

"Into oblivion, my sweet. Now go back home. I have things to do. Other apprentices to train."

"Isn't it hard doing all this by yourself?" asked Russetpaw. Mapleshade paused. "I used to have friends-no, not friends..._allies, _that helped me with my tasks...but they have all passed into the void." Her hackles rose, her fur ruffled, and her ears flattened. Green eyes glaring quite malevolently, lips bared, Mapleshade looked frightening, and Russetpaw shrank back.

"Never mind," snarled Mapleshade, and relaxed. She laid a claw-filled paw on Russetpaw's trembling head, and she fell into a deep pit of swirling mists.

She awoke in her own nest. She observed her sisters, Autumnpaw and Auburnpaw, curled together. They had always left Russetpaw out of games because she was small. _Midget, runt_, they had called her. _Weakling_.

Who cared about the past? She was going to wipe the dust with them-with Mapleshade's training, of course.


	2. Chapter 2

Russetpaw woke up to sunshine. Auburnpaw poked her in the side. "Get up, lazy!" she announced. "Second day as apprentice, and you're as slow as a honeybadger!"

Russetpaw growled and buried her nose under her paw. Auburnpaw was practically the opposite of Mapleshade. She was discouraging, mean, and _fat_.

"Lay off the mouse meat, Auburnpaw," sneered Russetpaw. "And get off my case."

"What's this I hear?" A golden head with flecks of ginger pushed in through the den entrance. "Russetpaw, I expect you out here. We're going to clean out the nursery."

"Yes, Flickerflame-wait, _what_?! NO!" cried Russetpaw. 'I'm not going to clean out kits' dirty bedding!"

"Yes. You. Are." said Flickerflame distinctly. "Or shall I go to Azurestar and revoke your apprenticeship?"

Russetpaw snarled quietly under her breath. She _hated_ Flickerflame, she _hated _Auburnpaw, and she _hated_ everyone BUT Mapleshade. She go up very slowly, her russet fur puffing out in the cold.

"Hurry up then," meowed Flickerflame curtly, and moved on.

She curled her claws into the ground, then paused in astonishment. A jagged nick marred her pad on her right paw-just like in her dream! HAD it been a dream, or...

"I need an Advil. I'm getting a migraine," mewed Russetpaw out loud, and padded out of the den. "Hey, Finchtail," she meowed. The yellow tom with black feet and a black raccon mask over his eyes and green eyes purred out, "Hello, Russetpaw," in return.

"I have to clear out the nursery," she said, making a face. "Can you change Flickerflame's mind? You are his brother."

"Oh, no," laughed Finchtail. "No one can change HIS mind. So much for flickering-he never wavers. Good luck with the moss balls, though." He padded away, black-tipped tail waving merrily.

Sighing, Russetpaw dragged her paws toward the nursery. "Hi, Russetkit!" squeaked a dark silver tabby tom kit with ripple marks over his body. "Glad to know you're back! Me and Pebblekit and Cranekit missed you and Autumnkit and Auburnkit!"

"Russet_paw_," she mewed crossly, and then headed in to a mass of kitten fluff, moss, and yes, poop.


	3. Chapter 3

Russetpaw stood proudly. Mapleshade circled her. "NOW!" she yowled.

Russetpaw sprang at the branch in the ground. She dove low, then sprang high, coming from above. She landed softly, then tried to do a twisting crawl, but couldn't. She ended up in a pile of fur and claws in the ground.

"_Epic fail_," sneered Mapleshade.

Russetpaw was a full-fledged apprentice now; 3 moons into her apprenticeship-with Flickerflame and Mapleshade. She had kept her secret nighttime mentorings a secret, and they had paid off. She was now by far the best fighter in the apprentices' den. She could thrash her sisters, and some of the older apprentices too. Training with Mapleshade was hard, but it had its benefits. Mapleshade grew more and more vicious by the day. It had started out with a few simple defense skills-and now, Russetpaw was being taught attack moves that could seriously injure.

"I think you'll do better on a real opponent," sneered Mapleshade.

"You?" mewed the apprentce.

"No," said the scarred she-cat. "One of my other apprentices. And better than you, should I say."

She looked over her shoulder. "Scorchpaw!" she yowled. A dark brown tom with orange v-marks materialized immediately.

Russetpaw gasped. "Is this what you do when I dream?" she asked. "I just float in Dreamworld until you call my name?"

"Something like that," said Mapleshade dismissively. 'I'm putting a lot of work into you, Russetpaw."

Scorchpaw stepped forward. "Mapleshade!" he mewed happily. "I love that move you showed me yesterday night. I almost killed Bloodypaw! She won't bully _me_ for quite some time yet, I don't think."

"Good, good," purred the orange she-cat. "I'm glad you showed your Clanmates what you can do."

"WindClan is strong-but I am stronger!" meowed Scorchpaw proudly. "I think Maelstromstar has got her eyes on me. She's started watching me train."

"Hi," mewed Russetpaw. "Are you WindClan? I haven't seen you at a Gathering yet." Scorchpaw glanced at her.

"Who's the runt, Mapleshade?" he asked, giving Russetpaw a cold glance."She's your opponent for tonight," answered Mapleshade. "Fight with all you have. But no killing. You are my star apprentices. I put the most time into you two. It wouldn't be fun to start over with dumbo midgets with scratch."

"Let's get this over with, then, midget," sneered Scorchpaw, and sprang for Russetpaw's throat.


	4. Chapter 4

Alarmed, Russetpaw quickly leapt away. He kept attacking, again and again, until when Russetpaw backed away, she felt tree root against her back. She crouched at the roots of the slimy tree, trembling.

Knowing his prey was cornered, Scorchpaw advanced slowly. He sheathed his claws and crept ever quieter. He stood over Russetpaw, grinning maliciously. He held a paw in front of her nose, and unsheathed his claws very, very slowly.

Russetpaw leapt into his face, clawing and biting where she could. Shrieking, Scorchpaw backed away, and Russetpaw squirted between his legs. She flipped over and began clawing. _Oof!_ Scorchpaw had jumped high and leapt away, and now he was on her with a vengeance. He pressed himself to Russetpaw hard so that she couldn't claw his belly again. He bit down hard on her ear, and with his paws, he churned at her throat with unsheathed, razor-sharp claws, serrated so as to cut flesh easier.

Gagging, Russetpaw tried to get up, but couldn't. A pang of fear struck her when she realized that she was trapped and slowly dying. She could feel hot blood coursing out of her body. She struggled less and less, her eyes squinted hard with strain. She wailed in agony as, with his back claws, Scorchpaw raked her sides.

"Please! Stop! I-I surrender!" pleaded Russetpaw. Scorchpaw snorted. "I won fair and square. You need to learn your lesson."

"Please! It hurts so much! You-you're going to kill me!" Russetpaw begged. "M-Mapleshade said...no...kill..." She grew so weak she couldn't speak. She could only wave her tail weakly. To her surprise, the weight on her vanished. Scorchpaw stared down at her. "Mapleshade said so," he murmured, and backed away. Panting, Russetpaw flipped over and pressed herself to the ground. Oh-h-h...

Mapleshade stood over her, teeth bared. "Get up, Russetpaw. Scorchpaw, you won," she said coldly. "Russetpaw, go home!"

Russetpaw groaned softly and felt herself evaporating. She woke up in her RiverClan den. A fellow apprentice stared down at her, horror in his eyes. "Russetpaw!" he mewed in alarm. "You're bleeding!"

"I'm okay, Vaporpaw." Russetpaw gazed in alarm at her scarlet throat. "I'll go see Mistlethrush in the morning."

Vaporpaw glanced at her bloodiness. "You might want to wipe off some of the blood. I'll help you." He helped her to the clearing, where there was a little stream. He dabbed at the water, then at her fur. His paws scarlet, he backed away. "There. Here's some moss..." He scraped up a layer of soft green substance and rubbed it against her pelt. It helped soak the bloood, and she felt better.

"Thank you, Vaporpaw," she whispered as they crept back to the den. A warm _thing_ stirred in her heart as she remembered the touch of Vaporpaw's pelt against hers. She pushed it away. Vaporpaw was like a brother to her, and besides, Mapleshade wouldn't be happy if she liked a cat who wasn't Mapleshade's apprentice. But then, Mapleshade hadn't been very nice lately. She shivered as she remembered Scorchpaw's sharp yellow gaze and his sharper claws.

_Forget Vaporpaw_, she told herself. _From now on, there is only Mapleshade. No one else._


End file.
